Community is Dead, Long Live Community
The author, James Richard Fry, laments the degradation of the Web3/crypto community, contrasting its past vitality with its current state. He fondly recalls early days of genuine connection and shared belief on platforms like Clubhouse and Discord, where communities formed around common interests like DeFi and NFTs, fueled by deep conviction and a spirit of building together.
He argues that today, the term "community" has been co-opted by "extractors." Most modern Discord communities, he asserts, are filled with members driven solely by the prospect of financial gain from airdrops, leading to artificial engagement that vanishes post-Token Generation Event (TGE), often replaced by hostility. This extractive behavior, he states, has poisoned the ecosystem, creating cheap imitations of the early, belief-driven communities.
Using his project, Across Protocol, as an example, he notes its own Discord has succumbed to this dynamic, pushing away genuine supporters. Consequently, he announces the decision to transition the Across Discord to read-only mode as a first step toward shutting it down completely. He concludes with a bittersweet farewell to the platform that once hosted beautiful moments, declaring "The community is dead. Long live the community."
marsbitYesterday 11:57
